WILMINGTON, DE (April 24, 2017) - With hundreds of lives being lost to drug overdoses each year, Delaware will hold a Drug Take-Back Day on Saturday, April 29, 2017 to help reduce the risk of prescription medications being diverted for misuse. Delawareans can discard their expired or unused medications at locations statewide between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Saturday.

Organized by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Department of Health and Social Service (DHSS), the twice-a-year event has resulted in more than 65,000 pounds of medication being collected in 13 events.

Properly discarding unused medications protects groundwater, reduces the risk of addiction, keeps prescription medications out of the hands of people who may abuse them, and helps prevent drug overdoses.

"We must view addiction as the chronic disease it is. We can all improve the safety of our homes and communities by properly disposing of unused medicines," said DHSS Secretary Dr. Kara Odom Walker. "National studies show that almost two-thirds of people who misuse prescription drugs get them from friends and family, including by raiding medicine cabinets, purses, and drawers."

The April 29, 2017 Drug Take-Back Day announcement was held in the Walgreens pharmacy in the Fairfax Shopping Center near Wilmington. Dr. Walker praised Walgreens for being the first private Delaware retailer to install safe medicine disposal boxes. Six of Delaware's 21 permanent medicine drop-off locations are in Walgreens pharmacies. The remaining 15 permanent boxes are located in local law enforcement agencies.

"Delaware - and the nation's - problem with prescription drug abuse has hit nearly every home and family," said U.S. Sen. Tom Carper. "The Prescription Drug Take-Back program is just one tool in our tool box to get these drugs out of the wrong hands. It's easier than ever to get rid of your unwanted prescriptions instead of letting them get into the wrong hands, or throwing them away and polluting our land and water supply. We will continue to fight this problem and will only be successful by working with all levels of government, and partnering with the private and nonprofit sector to attack this problem on all fronts."

"By making safe medication disposal kiosks available in select Delaware stores, as we have done in other states over the last year, Walgreens is taking an important first step to reduce the misuse of medications throughout the country and curb the rise in overdose deaths," said Jessica Puckett Beasley, Walgreens regional healthcare director in Delaware. "Everyone has a role to play in minimizing prescription drug abuse, and we are committed to being part of a comprehensive solution to reverse this epidemic."

"I want to applaud Walgreens, the DEA, Delaware Health and Social Services, and everyone working together to do their part to stop the spread of prescription medications getting into the wrong hands," said U.S. Sen. Chris Coons. "It takes a group effort; everyone doing their part to stop the drug abuse that's taking hold in our communities. I encourage everyone to take a look at their medicine cabinets, and if you're not using those prescriptions, participate in the Drug Take-Back Day or dispose of their medications in one of the 21 locations permanent drop boxes statewide."

In 2016, 308 people died in Delaware from drug overdoses compared to 228 in 2015 and 222 in 2014. Up to 80 percent of Delaware's drug overdoses may involve one or more prescription medications.

"We know that prescription drugs are often a gateway to illegal drugs," said Delaware Attorney General Matt Denn. "Ensuring that prescription drugs do not end up in the wrong hands is therefore an important part of our effort to address Delaware's opioid epidemic. Prevention, treatment, and law enforcement are all critical parts of this fight."

"Public Health is grateful for all the Drug Take-Back Day participating organizations, the DEA, and the law enforcement agencies and Walgreens which offer the permanent drop boxes," said Division of Public Health Director Dr. Karyl Rattay. "We must also increase awareness about alternatives to opioid medications to reduce pain and educate medical providers on the new Delaware prescribing rules."

Delawareans seeking help for drug addiction or medical providers seeking information on patient education and treatment resources can visit www.HelpIsHereDE.com. Click on "I am here for me" to see a list of detox, treatment and recovery providers in the region.

Drugs for disposal must be in a container such as a pill bottle, box, blister pack, or zipped plastic bag, with personal information removed. Liquid medications must be in their original containers. Needles, aerosols, biohazard materials, medical equipment, and batteries will not be accepted. For more details and a list of permanent collection sites, visit DPH at http://dhss.delaware.gov/dph/hsp/hhdrugtakeback.html
or 302-744-4546, ext. 5; and the DEA at www.dea.gov/take-back/takeback-news.shtml.

Delaware's Drug Take-Back Day sites for April 29, 2017 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. are:

About WalgreensWalgreens (www.walgreens.com
), one of the nation's largest drugstore chains, is included in the Retail Pharmacy USA Division of Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (NASDAQ: WBA), the first global pharmacy-led, health and wellbeing enterprise. Walgreens operates 8,173 drugstores with a presence in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Walgreens omnichannel business includes Walgreens.com and VisionDirect.com. More than 400 Walgreens stores offer Healthcare Clinic or other provider retail clinic services.

A person who is deaf, hard-of-hearing, deaf-blind, or speech-disabled can call the DPH phone number above by using TTY services. Dial 7-1-1 or 800-232-5460 to type your conversation to a relay operator, who reads your conversation to a hearing person at DPH. The relay operator types the hearing person's spoken words back to the TTY user. To learn more about TTY availability in Delaware, visit delawarerelay.com.

Delaware Health and Social Services is committed to improving the quality of the lives of Delaware's citizens by promoting health and well-being, fostering self-sufficiency, and protecting vulnerable populations. DPH, a division of DHSS, urges Delawareans to make healthier choices with the 5-2-1 Almost None campaign: eat 5 or more fruits and vegetables each day, have no more than 2 hours of recreational screen time each day (includes TV, computer, gaming), get 1 or more hours of physical activity each day, drink almost no sugary beverages.

Delaware Health and Social Services is committed to improving the quality of the lives of Delaware's citizens by promoting health and well-being, fostering self-sufficiency, and protecting vulnerable populations.